Clark County voters reject Moms for Liberty-backed school board candidates as Democratic incumbents keep their seats

What happened

Southern Nevada voters did not elect two Clark County School Board candidates backed by the conservative parents group Moms for Liberty, The Nevada Independent reported. Both reached the general election, but the incumbents they challenged are projected to keep their seats. Had both won, the board would have had four trustees aligned with the group, according to the outlet.

The outcome reverses what happened two years ago, when two candidates who campaigned on culture war issues won board seats during a red wave led by President Donald Trump. Moms for Liberty has pushed to ban books with sexual themes and opposed policies that support LGBTQ+ students, the outlet reported. The results, from early tallies posted Thursday afternoon, came amid a broader Democratic wave in local races.

Clark County School Board results

District D: Brenda Zamora

Incumbent Brenda Zamora, a deputy director at a reproductive rights nonprofit, is projected to win against David Gomez, a local nonprofit leader and education advocate. Gomez was backed by the Moms for Liberty Clark County chapter, the Nevada Veterans Association and the Nevada Young Republicans, and has spoken against a district policy that supports LGBTQ+ students. District D covers Downtown Las Vegas and the northeast valley.

Zamora, first elected in 2022, has two children in CCSD and was supported by the Nevada State Education Association and Hispanics in Politics. She told The Nevada Independent that voters from the other side of the political spectrum said they appreciated her focus on students. She said she has worked at "raising the questions of what community members want to hear."

District F: Irene Bustamante Adams

Former Democratic state lawmaker Irene Bustamante Adams is projected to be re-elected after holding a double-digit lead over Rob Hutchinson, who recently retired as the district's facility director. She was the only school board candidate endorsed by the Clark County Education Association, the teachers' bargaining unit, while Hutchinson was backed by the rival Nevada State Education Association. She said she plans to keep working on improving student achievement.

District G: Linda Cavazos

Linda Cavazos, on the board since her appointment in 2017, is the projected winner over Paul Casey, an entertainment production businessman, former substitute teacher and parent of a district student. Casey, a registered Republican, was endorsed by the Moms for Liberty Clark County chapter, the Nevada Veterans Association and the Clark County Republican Party. According to The Nevada Independent, this will be her last term in the office.

Cavazos, a registered Democrat in a nonpartisan office, told the outlet that more voters asked about her party than in past cycles, and she partly credited the blue wave for her win. "When I look at the numbers of votes that I received this time around and the margin of votes, it's huge," she said.

Board of Regents races

Newcomer leads in District 5

The most surprising regent race was District 5, The Nevada Independent reported. Stephanie Molina, a workforce program coordinator at Henderson-based Nevada State University who has never held office and listed no donations, leads former Democratic lawmaker Mo Denis. Denis, the first Latino Senate majority leader, reported raising nearly $53,000 since January and was endorsed by CCEA, NSEA and the Nevada Faculty Alliance.

Molina said she believes her experience inside Nevada's higher education system gave voters confidence. The seat is now held by Patrick Boylan, who lost in a four-way primary after facing calls to resign in 2024 over comments about transgender athletes.

Other regent seats

Incumbent Jennifer McGrath, appointed in 2025 by Gov. Joe Lombardo, led College of Southern Nevada math professor Patrick Villa by more than 20 percentage points in District 2 as of Wednesday morning. In District 3, Byron Brooks, elected to the board in 2020, held a lead of more than 20 percentage points over Erik Swendseid, principal of a Las Vegas architecture firm. In District 10, incumbent Joe Arrascada had a double-digit lead over UNR professor Peter Reed.

Washoe County race

In the only Washoe County School Board race on the November ballot, UNR fitness director Sheena Harvey is projected to win the at-large District F seat over Brooke Westlake. Harvey was endorsed by NSEA and the Washoe Education Association, while Westlake was backed by the Washoe County Republican Party Central Committee and Turning Point Action. More coverage is on our schools page.

What to watch next

• The Board of Regents District 8 race between incumbent Pete Goicoechea and Lori Lane was still tight as of Thursday, with Goicoechea leading. The winner serves the rest of a term ending in 2028.
• Whether early leads hold in regent Districts 2, 3, 5 and 10, where candidates were ahead in early results but final outcomes were not reported.